Lots of people seem to get a lot of joy from bad mouthing the
Schweitzer sailplanes, but where would we be, here in the USA, without
them? At least those two brothers were actually designing and building
sailplanes for the market here! Since they quit building sailplanes,
nobody, except Windward Design, has had the balls to put into
production, any sailplanes here in the USA. How many people would have
never gone up in a sailplane if the Schweitzers hadn't built so many
of them? How much more expensive would the plastic sailplanes that are
here in the USA be, then and now, if it weren't for the hundreds of
Schweitzers, built here, and still soaring here, coast to coast, every
weekend. They don't look all that sexy, and they fall out of the sky
when you leave the lift, but it sure beats being on the ground! The
back seat is uncomfortable, but I've spent many hours having and
sharing lots of fun, and incredible beauty, that would not have
happened if it had not been for the brothers Schweitzer! Show me a
plastic two place, in good shape, for $10,000! So until The Government
decides to spend $4000,000,000.00 on new plastic sailplanes for all the
soaring pilots here, instead of Policing the world, I'll keep soaring
my Schweitzer 2-33, and Schweitzer 2-32, and you'll not hear me bitch
about them,....much. I've been having more fun than one person
should be allowed to have, winching my Schweitzers!



kirk.stant wrote:
Bill Daniels wrote:

Pilots used to Dick Schreders and Irv Prue's designs asked why such a large
glider had such poor performance. This bad impression was exceeded only by
the introduction of the 2-33 a few months later.

The first Libelle's, Phoebii and Diamonts were introduced about the same
time. One instantly felt that this was an inflection point in aeronautics.
As they say, the rest is history.

Poor performance? It's better than any other 3-seat glider out there!

And on a strong day, it doesn't give up a lot to a G-103 or ASK-21.

Especially if all three spend all their lives tied out and working
hard. When the last plastic pig has been chopped up and carted off,
there will probably still be a 2-32 giving rides with giggling
teenagers or grandfathers and grandsons in the back seat (unless the
last one has spun in, of course - the glider, not the grandfather).

Comparing the Beast to an HP, Prue, or single seat glass is like
comparing a potato to a grape! Or vodka to wine, come to think of it.

Totally concur about the 2-33, though - what were they thinking!

Kirk
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